The Torah Portion: An ancient Jewish practice of reading the Bible
Growing up in church, I would often encounter people who had radical moments of conversion. God had worked in a powerful way to deliver them from addictions, to mend relationships, and to rekindle a flame in their heart that was previously darkened by the difficulties of life.
Staring into the wide expanse of this new found freedom, they had a Spirit led urge to dive into reading the Bible that was patiently collecting dust on the shelf.
“Where do I start?”
This was the most asked question, and what a dilemma it became.
Do we start them in the gospel of Matthew? No, no, too much genealogy (why is that important anyway?)—they’ll tune out before chapter 2.
How about Genesis, the very beginning where God created the heavens and the earth and all that’s in them? Ehhh, probably not—we’ll lose them by the time we get Leviticus and then have to answer questions about all of the rigid laws and times God declared death over the enemies of His people. That Old Testament can be scary, and it’s been done away with, right? No need to start at the beginning.
Let’s start in John 1. That’s it—a safe bet. We’ll drop them into the deep end of the Logos of God, the word made flesh, and then if they read long enough, they’ll get to the Acts of the apostles, and finally to the Pauline epistles and the rest of the New Testament. This is the climax of scripture, after all—let’s get to the good parts! And after the New Testament, we’ll sprinkle in a daily Proverbs, some nice sounding Psalms, and we’re all equipped to life a godly life and following Jesus. Right?
Let's pause so I can ask you a question:
Would you start a book or a movie half way through?
Of course not. Because to understand the ending it’s essential that you know the entire story.
How did the characters develop?
What happened between those two people?
What tragedy happened that prompted the main character to respond?
The same is true of the Bible. The entire Bible from beginning to end is an amazing story of God’s redemptive power at work and his relentless desire to dwell with His people. Story after story, we read of his loving kindness and loyal love that never stops pursuing us—even if that means overcoming death itself.
And to appreciate and understand the weight of this, we need the whole story.
So let’s go back to the very beginning...
What is the Torah?
The Hebrew word Torah (תּורה) can simply mean teaching or instruction. While torah can be used in a general sense, it also specifically refers to the instruction that God gave to Moses while on top of Mount Sinai. This collection of instructions, often referred to as “law” in most translations, are contained within the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. You may have also heard these five books referred to as the Pentateuch. This is the Torah.
Why is the Torah Important?
After the Israelites were delivered from Egypt, God spoke his commands to the people through Moses. Nearly 40 days later God calls Moses up the mountain with two stone tablets and there God inscribes the tablets with His instruction. After descending the mountain, Moses tells the people everything God had commanded and the people affirmed God’s covenant.
Moshe came and told the people everything Adonai had said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: "We will obey every word Adonai has spoken."
—Exodus 24:3
Again and again, the people failed, but God continued to renew His covenant and reiterate His instructions that would form the foundation of how He expected His people to live.
These were instructions that set them apart from the neighboring pagan nations. It contained instructions on how to eat, how to live, and how to celebrate holidays that would help them remember their God. It had instructions on how to establish a system of justice in order to handle situations where people were wronged. It provided guidance on how to care for the poor, the orphans, and marginalized people of society.
Put simply, the Torah provides instructions on how to love God with all of your heart, soul, and strength, as well as how to love others with love, justice, and mercy.
Introducing the Weekly Torah Portion
Long before Christianity emerged, an ancient Jewish practice developed of reading through the Bible regularly so that people would know, understand, and internalize His instructions. This structured reading is called the Parshah in Hebrew (which simply means portion), and is where we get the English translation of Torah Portion.
Why is the Torah read anyway? Did some rabbis just decide people should read their bible more? Actually the source is much deeper and stems from a command God gave to Moses and the children of Israel that the everyone should hear the Torah read at least once in a seven year cycle.
Moshe gave them these orders: "At the end of every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot in the year of sh'mittah, when all Isra'el have come to appear in the presence of Adonai at the place he will choose, you are to read this Torah before all Isra'el, so that they can hear it.
Assemble the people—the men, the women, the little ones and the foreigners you have in your towns—so that they can hear, learn, fear Adonai your God and take care to obey all the words of this Torah; and so that their children, who have not known, can hear and learn to fear Adonai your God, for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Yarden to possess."
—Deuteronomy 31:10–13 CJB
Over time, Jewish rabbis condensed to a 4 year cycle, and eventually to a one year (54 week) weekly rhythm of reading through the Bible that is followed today. The weekly torah portion is read in a Jewish synagogue every Sabbath, and the cycle resets on Sunday, the first day of the week.
The entire cycle of reading the Torah culminates the week of the fall festival of Sukkot and the accompanying celebration of Simchat Torah (Joy of Torah). The annual torah cycle resets the following week, and we begin reading again with a fresh perspective.
Names of the Torah Portion Readings
Each weekly reading has a name that comes from the first word or phrase of the weekly torah portion passage of scripture. For example, the first reading is also the name of the first book of the Bible: Genesis. Or in Hebrew, B’reisheet (בְּרֵאשִׁית) which comes from the first phrase found in Genesis 1:1—“In the Beginning.”
Here’s an example of the first five torah portion names:
B’reisheet (In the Beginning)
Noach (Noah)
Lech-Lecha (Go Forth)
Vayera (And He Appeared)
Chayei Sarah (Life of Sarah)
Throughout the year there are special readings connected to Jewish holidays like Passover or Shavuot, and additional readings when those holidays fall on a Shabbat. For example, every year during the week of Shavuot (also known as Pentecost), we read the story of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on top of Mount Sinai.
All of this helps connect the reader to the bigger picture of what God is doing in the world. To help us remember his ways through the annual rhythm of life—through seasons and appointed times.
It’s a great reminder that these words are meant to be lived, not just believed!
The Haftarah
Accompanying the weekly torah reading is a related portion of verses coming from the Prophets (Hebrew: Nevi’im), that relates to the theme of that week’s torah portion. This helps you see the connection over time of what God was speaking through prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah to remind Israel about their need to follow God’s instruction with their whole hearts—not just out of show or obligation. Through the prophets, God’s Spirit moves in powerful ways to speak truth and convict the fledgling nation of sin and compel them to return the God who loves them.
One story you may be familiar with is when Jesus is in the synagogue after being tempted by the Satan for 40 days in the wilderness. He selects a scroll from the Prophet Isaiah, which is a passage in the Prophets and he reads. Though not technically a reading from the haftarah, it’s significance is profound:
The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me, because Adonai has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark; to proclaim the year of the favor of Adonai and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn...
—Isaiah 61:1–2
Each haftarah portion contains a meaning that should stir our hearts to follow the Master.
The Gospels
All throughout the pages of the New Testament, there is connection after connection to the Hebrew Bible. The early Jewish followers of Jesus saw these connections and quoted them often, diligently presenting them to their people to make a case that Yeshua (Jesus) was the long awaited Messiah prophesied in scripture.
The book of Matthew begins in Jewish fashion with a methodical list of genealogy that traces the family tree of Jesus all the way back to Abraham.
Jesus is often found in the synagogue, studying, debating, and teaching through the Torah and Hebrew Scriptures, as well as celebrating biblical holidays like Passover and even Hanukkah.
Paul continues to retain His Jewishness while advocating for a the new paradigm of Gentiles turning to faith to in God, worshipping alongside their Jewish brothers and sisters as “one new man” in the body of Messiah.
As you read through the Bible with this new Jewish lens of the Torah Portion, you begin to realize that this is how Jesus and the early disciples would have experienced the Bible. You will begin to see the massive impact of what Jesus as Messiah had on these early Jewish followers, and how monumental the new covenant ratified through His blood actually was.
The Old Testament as we often refer to it, wasn’t just abolished and done away with. Instead, it’s the entire foundation for every single thing that Jesus did. Yeshua is the goal—the target at which the Torah points us to. And as followers of Jesus, understanding this perspective will open your eyes to a rich new way of reading the Bible.
Where to read the weekly torah portion
While the traditional Jewish torah reading does not include the Gospels, For a Messianic perspective that includes it, we recommend following the weekly torah portions listed in the Complete Jewish Bible or First Fruits of Zion. These and others are simple ways to read the Bible in the way that Jesus and his disciples would have done.
Conclusion
As a follower of Yeshua, why does all of this matter? Why should you care about reading the Bible through a Jewish rhythm?
As believers, we are grafted into the Jewish root that is Israel. We do not replace Israel and the Jewish people, but through God’s incredible providence, He has made a way through Messiah Yeshua to join his work in the world. We have been adopted into the family of God!
As adopted sons and daughters, we take on the family rhythms so we can participate in their life and become like them.
Not only that, but as you read through the weekly Torah portion, you will begin to see connections with the Gospels and the new covenant writings of the New Testament. You’ll realize that we have a rich foundation that starts in the Hebrew Bible that culminates in the life of Jesus. It’s all connected, it’s all filled with significance and meaning, and it will help you understand the Bible like never before.
So join us as we follow Jesus in a Jewish way.
May you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart that would understand our Father’s ways. And may His Spirit continue to teach you and guide you in all truth.
Shalom!
